Question 1:Why should we come to Munich this year? What is hot, what is new?The Hot and the New are always interesting, but the best reason to come to the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit is to lern how to make your marketing more effective using the tools and the data you already have.

Having said that, we have no shortage of New and Hot. First, there will be two eLabs, in depth working sessions1) Montezation of WebSite with Chris Kerns from ZAAZ who did a session on this last year. It was the best rated session of the conference and this year he is back to work with the attendees on the HOW TO part. 2) Landing Page Optimization with two Top Experts; Timo Aden and Lennard Paulsen - both used to work for Google will work with the attendees on this subjects.

We also have some major companies sharing their first-hand experiences. BMW Group will talk about measuring multichannel marketing. RTL will describe their use of eye-tracking to improve their website. BAUR Versand will explain how they use all their different web analytics tools. Siemens will talk about how web analytics is crucial for non-ecommerce websites. And a lot more.

And then there's the big party on the evening of Day 1, April 22 - Search & Metrics Bash. That will be a lot of fun fueled by serious conversations and not-so-serious conversations!

Question 2:Being so long around Web Analytics, Jim, what do you think of Web Analytics in 5 years?I see two things happening in five years. First, the tools will get easier and easier to use so that every website can make the most of them. Today we have free tools, but getting actionable insights from the data is difficult. I think the tools will start to offer "advice" rather than just reports. Second, we will see a whole new set of communications technologies that will make social media seem like something your grandfather might have used. These new ways to connect are going to require our best and brightest to keep coming up with new ways to measure. I promise it will not get boring.

Question 3:Can you give me an example of the best case study you ever heard? What was the success story?The best cases I hear about are those where the whole company understands that web analytics is a way to measure the customer experience and customer experience is the most important thing of all. Marketing is no longer about sending out a message but about ensuring that the conversation that customers have about you is positive. Everything from the company logo to the customer service center and the invoices in the mail are all part of the customer experience. The best cases come from those companies that use their web data to make all of their customer touch-points better.

Question 4:Which country in Europe is most advanced using Web Analytics?There are two answers to this question. The first - and the answer people expect - is that the UK is the most advanced outside of the US and that Germany is the most advanced in Europe. The second answer is that there are pockets of excellence in every country. By the same measure, there are companies that are woefully behind in the US as well. The technology and the ability to take advantage of it is global, but the US, the UK and Germany seem to have more companies doing more advanced work than anywhere else.

Question 5:What do you think about countries like Poland, Russia etc.? Are they already ready?Are they ready? Sure! Are they able - economically, culturally and politically? That is a question for a business sociologist.

Question 6:What is your favorite KPI in general? (Answering ?It depends? is forbidden)Customer Satisfaction. I learned this one from Avinash Kaushik who gave his first presentation at an eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit years ago. Avinash said that there are three things to measure: Behavior - what do people do? Attitude - how do people feel? and Business Outcomes - what were the results. He said that if he had to give up two of the three, he would hang onto customer satisfaction as that was the most important. If people buy but are not happy or if people come to your website and are not happy, you cannot stay in business. If you change your website and it makes people happier, then your business outcomes will improve. Avinash knows what he's talking about.

Question 7:Is there a question you always wanted to be asked but no one ever did? What is the answer?Q: How will you spend the Lottery winnings?A: It depends.